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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

‘Avengers 2′ director apologizes to Seoul residents

By JONATHAN HICAP, Manila Bulletin

Film director Joss Whedon took to YouTube to address Seoul residents with the principal shooting of “Avengers: Age of Ultron” kicking off on March 30.

“We are going to mess it up a bit and inconvenience people for a few days and I apologize for that,” he said in a video post. “I know what’s that like. I live in Los Angeles and it happens to me all the time and it’s not fun. I hope that it will be worth it.”

Robert Downey Jr. will play Iron Man in “Avengers 2,” part of which was filmed at Mapo Bridge in Seoul on March 30 (www.newsen.com)

Whedon said filming the “Avengers” sequel in Seoul will “show the city to the world in a light that I don’t think it’s been shown, certainly not in America.”

He added, “For us to showcase it in a manner we’re going to and have the exciting action as part of ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ is a real privilege and I apologize for how hard it is to do but in the end it’s something special.”

Part of the movie’s cast is Korean actress Kim Soo-hyun, who will reportedly play a scientist in the film.

The sequel will be shot in various locations in Seoul and neighboring Gyeonggi until April 14.

Among locations are the Digital Media City, Cheongdam Bridge, Gangnam Boulevard and Kaywon University of Art and Design in Gyeonggi.

On the first day of filming, held at Mapo bridge, the “Avengers 2″ crew got the shock of their lives when they found a dead body floating in Han River. The body was reportedly that of a man who had been missing since March 10 and suspected of committing suicide.

Filming continued for the day, despite the incident, with curious Seoul residents watching on the sidelines.